Lake Eleanor water level — California

California · USGS · reading Aug 31, 2026, 12:45 AM (UTC-07:00) Provisional

Lake Eleanor in California was last measured at 4,654.41 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:45 AM (UTC-07:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−1.3 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.

Current reading Lake Eleanor · California
Pool elevation
4,654.41 ft

Datum NGVD29 · provisional, subject to revision. (Why datum matters →)

% of conservation pool full
Not reported
Storage
20,920 acre-ft
Recent trend
↓Falling

−1.3 ft over the trend window

Recent trend

Readings this station published between Aug 12, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026 — a 18-day window — downsampled for display.

4655.7ft4654.4ftAug 12 – Aug 31

Data: USGS Water Services (waterservices.usgs.gov) and USACE CWMS Data (cwms-data.usace.army.mil), retrieved 2026-08-31. Both public domain (a work of the U.S. Government, 17 U.S.C. §105).

Not for navigation or safety decisions (why →)

Source: USGS site 11277500, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →

About this gauge's record

This site's drainage basin covers approximately 78 sq mi of contributing watershed.

The dam behind Lake Eleanor

Lake Eleanor is held back by Lake Eleanor , a run of concrete arches carried on buttresses , standing 61 ft high and running 1,260 ft along its crest , built across Eleanor Creek in Tuolumne County , near N/A . It was completed in 1918 , and is owned by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (a local government owner) .

Its recorded primary purpose is water supply — delivering water to its customers comes first, so drawdown here follows demand as much as it follows rainfall . It also serves water supply;hydroelectric.

NID classes it high hazard potential. That describes what a failure would cost downstream — loss of life would be expected — and says nothing about how likely a failure is, or what condition the dam is in. Its most recent condition assessment was satisfactory — no deficiencies recognised for expected loading. That assessment is dated 09/01/2017.

At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 953 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 28,600 acre-ft. It is regulated by DWR, Division of Safety of Dams.

Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record CA00121 , filed by California — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USGS Water Services and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)

How Lake Eleanor compares nearby

All 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also falling, suggesting a regional pattern rather than an operation specific to this dam.

Nearby lakes

The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.

Lakes nearest to Lake Eleanor, with current level and distance.
Lake State Level Distance
Cherry Lake CA 4,683.53 ft 3 km
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir a Hetch Hetchy CA 3,780.90 ft 9 km
Beardsley Lake CA 3,347.38 ft 31 km
Donnell Lake CA 4,865.12 ft 40 km
New Exchequer Dam / Lake Mcclure CA 796.87 ft 55 km
Don Pedro Reservoir CA 794.88 ft 56 km

Frequently asked questions

What is the current water level of Lake Eleanor?
As of Aug 31, 2026, 12:45 AM (UTC-07:00), the pool elevation was 4,654.41 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
Is Lake Eleanor full right now?
Its managing agency does not publish a %-of-conservation-pool-full figure for this lake, so we show the bare level rather than estimate one.
Where does this data come from?
From USGS site 11277500, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).

More in California

See every lake tracked in California, or read the methodology behind these figures.